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The illusion leads the viewer to believe that the two individuals are standing in the same depth of field, when in reality the subject is standing much closer.

The trick is so convincing that someone walking across the back of the room appears to increase of decrease in scale as they move from one side to the other.

This is just one example of 'trick art' on display at the Takao Trick Art Museum in Hachioji city, Western Tokyo, Japan.

Trick of the eye: A Japanese woman pretends to pull the trunk of an elephant which is in fact a mural painted on a wall

The Egyptian themed trick art museum displays works which when viewed by the human eye, creates an optical illusion.

In another example, a woman appears to walk across a precariously placed plank spanning a dark abyss.

While another brave young female poses for a photo while a crocodile circles her feet.

The incredibly lifelike scenes are huge works of art painted onto walls and floors in the museum.

Lifelike: A woman appears to walk across a precariously placed plank spanning a dark abyss

The museum said: 'Trick art creates the illusion that depicted objects really exist and are not just two-dimensional paintings. It is a kind of tug-of war between the artist and the observer.

'The desire to judge things and to observe them correctly is an innate human instinct.

'But the fact that humans also tend to harbor certain assumptions and preconceptions without even thinking about them, can also lead to the brain to make mistaken judgments about what the eye observes.

Detailed: A Japanese woman poses for a photo inside the Takao Trick Art Museum. The optical illusion is in fact a mural

Look closely: A Japanese boy experiences the Magic Table Surprise in the Takao Trick Art Museum

Visitors pose for a photograph as they pretend to hold the trunk of the elephant which has been painted onto the wall. Using different paint strokes, the image is brought to life

Is it a painting? A man takes a break on a seat that looks like it has a back cushion and a cat sitting on top

'This gives rise to sensory illusions. Trick artists make clever use of sensory llusions, while the observer subconsciously tries to 'expose' them. Enjoying the excitement of trying to overcome this disparity is the real thrill that the Takao Trick Art Museum offers.